"I'm still very much arriving"
This is a phrase I find myself saying often. As I reach the 6 month mark of being stateside I want to take the time to reflect on the flood of feelings, the unrest, the transition and of course the joys of the re-encuentros stateside.
On food: I met a Peruvian in Memphis recently and she simply said, "no hay nada como la comida peruana." El orgullo peruano pues. Although lomo saltado can be recreated stateside as the ingredients to prepare the dish can be found easily, ajis for aji de gallina are hard to come by. However, nothing will ever taste as good as when made with the fresh ingredients from Mercado Grau. For now I'll cherish my frozen aji amarillos from a little Peruvian market in Miami FL, awaiting the perfect moment to share my all-time favorite Peruvian dish.
Side note, sweet potatoes will never be the same again. They just aren't sweet enough anymore stateside; aside from the infamous sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows that I am so looking forward to eating at Thanksgiving. Paltas (avocados) where are you? I dream of mangoes.
On cooking: I learned how to cook in a country with some serious culinary pride. How did I ever get so lucky? I couldn't bare to part with my Peru cookbook composed by famous Gastón Acurio but more importantly than a book are the authentic recipes I learned from Senora Antoiñetta and my host mom. I'll never forget accidentally putting rocoto (a very spicy pepper distinguishable by its black seeds) in my scrambled eggs thinking it was a red pepper, hopping in the shower without thoroughly washing my hands first, only to hop right back out again after seeing red with burning eyes as I had attempted to wash my face. I had no idea it was rocoto until John came home and opened the fridge looking for his beloved rocoto! Shoutout to John for pushing me to learn to cook on my own with the phrase, "con confianza Christie, con confianza." Se cocina con confianza.
One of my favorite pastimes was definitely cooking alongside friends and family in Peru. There is a real beauty and art to it and it has brought me to love the kitchen.
On technology: Upon arriving to the states, I had a cell-phone and lived once again in a home with wifi, two things I was intentionally without for two years. Whatsapp and Facebook work wonders in keeping in touch with the world.
On living simply: I came home to raid my closet and donate bags of clothes and as my little brother quickly noticed, I wore only clothes from Peru. I now strive to keep my home clutter-free, separating wants from needs. As always, I am still working on this pillar.
On re-entering:
Transition sucks. We all know it to be true. From transitioning to middle school, to high school, to college, to living away from home, to a new job, to any sort of change in life really, it is by no means easy. Reflecting on my re-entrance into the US, I'll admit it has not been graceful and sometimes it really feels like learning to stand on my two feet again.
The following list is a list of things that occurred during the transition, some only fully understood by former JVs, in an attempt to adapt to "being" here.
- wanting to call loved ones, but afraid of simply bursting into tears
- doing said thing, and yes, tears.
- wanting nothing more and nothing less than eating travesuras and watching movies with my best friend.
- actually missing and desiring to be handwashing clothes with Maddie on the patio of Casa Fred Green, Bolivar in hand, blasting Beyonce
- strolling into a dollar tree to buy my favorite childhood candy..blasting nostalgic music in my big old school headphones
- struggling to just "be" but being assured the beauty behind that example
- experiencing unrest
- eating too much macaroni and cheese and frozen pizzas
- not being able to find the english words for something, stopping myself to apologize only to be assured by a lifelong friend, "no it's ok I understand"
- accepting invitations to speak of my time as a JV
- leaving said events feeling 'there is still so much to say'
- practicing self care
- feeling a flood of feelings
- traveling long distances to visit loved ones
- traveling via bus and being asked to watch a bag, freaking out for a second, contrabando!?
- attending parties waiting for la hora loca
- struggling with the latest technology
- riding my first uber in complete amazement
- distance is hard
- Salud!
and I'll say it again
"I'm still very much arriving"sometimes that's all there is to say..
stay tuned for the next blog posts, "On longing" and "On being"
for those of you still with me, thank you, thank you for welcoming me back, thank you for praying for me all the while, for attending my talks, and for being fans of a human with a simple mission....
to love.
